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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Zweibrücken (City of Zweibrücken) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pfennigs (50 Pfennige) (0.50) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Plain salmon-toned paper Gutschein enclosed within a decorative letterpress-printed black border of interlocking ornamental devices. A light green guilloche underprint carries a faint civic coat-of-arms vignette at centre. The denomination numeral '50' and abbreviation 'Pfg.' appear at upper left in bold Gothic type, with the issuing authority 'Stadt Zweibrücken' in large display lettering below the title 'Gutschein'. The issue date 'Zweibrücken, 20. Februar 1917' and two manuscript signatures appear at the foot, accompanied by a large red circular official stamp of the Stadteinnehmerei Zweibrücken at right. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Official stamp |
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| Comments |
Zweibrücken's 1917 50 Pfennig emergency issue belongs to the vast wave of Kleingeldersatz — small-change substitutes — produced by German municipalities after coin metal was systematically diverted to war production. The Reichsbank had effectively stopped releasing subsidiary coinage into civilian channels by mid-1916, leaving local authorities to paper over the gap themselves. Zweibrücken's solution was printed locally, authenticated with an official municipal stamp rather than any sophisticated security measure, and almost certainly redeemed quickly once the immediate shortage passed.
The city lies in the Palatinate, close to the French border — a detail that would become relevant within two years when French forces occupied the region under the terms of the Armistice.